A Tear in the Family Portrait
by LeighK81
Summary: The Cullens face an unexpected threat that will inevitably tear their family part. Some of them will be getting what they wished for but at a very high cost. Not a happy story. Multiple POV. ExB, JxA, CxE, EmxR
1. The Unknown Menace

DISCLAIMER: All books and characters in the Twilight Saga are property of Stephenie Meyer.

"The Unknown Menace"

Bella's POV

While Edward was checking in, I scanned my surroundings for any signs of danger. When you're as clumsy as me danger lurks behind every corner and clear cut path in front of you. The greatest danger stood right above my head – a spiral staircase with spaces between each step. I silently gave thanks that I lived in a century where elevators existed.

"Are you ready to go, love?" Edward asked gently squeezing my hand.

I remove my eyes from the stairs and looked at him. "Yes," I murmured.

Edward insisted that our honeymoon be my last human experience. He was constantly trying to buy time before changing me, or as he liked to call it "damning my soul."

He held my hand as we walked over to the elevator. "Please tell me you didn't reserve the most expensive room in the hotel," I pleaded.

The smirk he gave me confirmed my fears. Of course he got us the most expensive room; he was Edward.

The elevator was currently on the third floor. We stood there waiting patiently for it to reach us. Soon the doors opened only to reveal a mother and her three small children dressed in swimming suits.

My heart broke a little at that sight. I knew what I was giving up by choosing Edward. Every choice in life has consequences. In the end I decided that an eternity with him was worth more than a lifetime with a family of my own.

Edward picked up on my melancholy and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. He pressed the number three as soon as the elevator doors closed behind us.

Alice's POV

I never had a vision that scared me as much as this one. I'm not referring to the type fear that could reduce a hundred year immortal to hide in the closet or under the bed. No, I'm referring to the type of fear that causes you to question your whole existence.

My brother and best friend were in a peril so deep that it made the Volturi look like saints. This was the one thing that I was sure would lead to the destruction of their relationship, and perhaps evens my brother's 'death.'

I couldn't put off the inevitable any longer. I had to warn them.

_Please have your cell phone on._

Sure enough his cell phone was on.

Edward's POV

When we reached our destination I insisted that I carry my bride over the threshold. With a little bit of persuasion on my part I was able to get Bella to comply with my wishes.

Once we were in our own private sanctuary for two weeks I placed my Bella down on the king-sized bed.

It was now my turn to meet the first half of our bargain.

Bella rolled over on her side. Was she having second thoughts already? Or was she just nervous? I wish she could see how nervous I was. Unfortunately, I didn't have the advantages that blush provided. Sometimes it was a blessing, and other times like this one it was truly a curse.

I heard a small sigh escape her lips. Feeling frustrated by her sudden alienation towards me, I joined her on the bed.

"What's bothering you?" I asked not entirely sure I wanted to know the answer to this question.

"You know how a child gets so excited for Christmas to finally come, and then after opening up all his presents on Christmas morning he feels disappointment."

I knew exactly what she was referring to – level of gratification, a psychological term that basically states that happiness and pleasure are short-lived.

"Yes," I answered while keeping a calm exterior to hide the sudden pressure I was feeling. If Bella and I were on the same page then I wonder if that meant she was afraid I wouldn't live up to her expectations. I had to admit it; I had those same misgivings.

Her body rolled over to face mine. The lovely shade of crimson red on her cheeks gave away her discomfort. I patiently waited for her to compose herself.

She opened her mouth to speak only to be cut off by the ring of my cell phone.

I groaned in hindrance when I saw the name on the caller ID. Alice.

"Alice, this better be important. Bella and I are in the middle of our honey moon," I spat out.

Panic was written all over Bella's face and the tempo of her heart beat increased. She was most likely assuming the worst – torturing her self by playing out the worst case scenario in her mind.

"I had a vision," Alice revealed in voice low enough so my wife wouldn't hear it.

The Volturi they decided to intercept. No, the dogs they found out about our plans to change Bella and they're here to stop us.

I couldn't fret over that right now. I needed to be strong for Bella. Jumping to conclusions wasn't going to solve anything.

"It is vital that you two leave Chicago as soon as possible," Alice said shortly without giving me the benefit of any explanation.

I pinched the bridge between my eyes in order to center myself. "Alice, now is not the time to be cryptic. If Bella is in danger you need to tell me now," I demanded in a voice only vampires could hear.

She sighed. "Edward, you need to trust me on this. I can't tell you what the exact cause of your danger is; all I can say is that it isn't the Volturi, the wolves, another vampire, or any supernatural creature of any kind. One more thing before I forget it endangers all of us," she gasped out the last sentence.

Bella's eyes were pleading with me to inform her on our current situation. I hated hiding things from her, but this was for her safety. I couldn't take the chance of her playing Super Man again.

"What am I supposed to tell my wife? You know how perceptive she is… do you expect me to lie to her?"

"I expect you to do whatever it takes to get out of that city or better yet the whole state of Illinois," she exclaimed. She took an unnecessary breath before continuing, "I will give you two hints: it's a mortal and it's the last person you ever would have expected."

The phone went dead before I could get any more answers out of her.

I returned to the bed to join Bella silently hoping that I could come up with a good enough lie to satisfy her curiosity. My mind suddenly filled with guilt - honesty was imperative for the survival of any relationship.

Who could that mystery mortal be? The first name to enter my mind is Charlie, so that automatically crosses him off the list. Maybe it's one of the teachers at Forks High – that would be too easy. Bella and I were in the middle of a mystery, and only I was aware of the game that we were playing.

My angel stood in front of me with her arms cross in front of her chest, her eyes glaring daggers at me, her luscious bottom lip sticking out slightly further than the top lip. "I demand that you tell me right now what is going on. And you better give me the truth. I don't want any repeats of what happened when we went to Florida," she said hotly.

The sound of those words made my dead heart fall. I could only hope that my wife would forgive me for lying to her when she found out the truth, because in the end the truth all ways comes out – unfortunately.

I stood up and took her hands into mine. "Alice, had a vision of you getting shot in a drive by shooting," I lied. A normal reaction would be for a person's eyes to fill with panic, but instead Bella's eyes only showed concern – most likely for me.

"Edward Cullen, I know what you're planning on doing -," She saw right through my façade. "I refuse to let my husband jump in front of bullet in order to save my life," she continued.

Once again I was mistaken. Bella's predication wasn't even close, but I could use this to my advantage.

"I won't allow you to endanger your family in order save me,"

Now she was crying. I quickly pulled her into my embrace. "Bella, you know I can't keep any promises when it comes to your safety," I whispered into her ear keeping up the facade.

My plan was working. What she did next was exactly what I had hoped; she picked up her luggage and headed for the door.

"Bella love, where are you going?"

She turned around and answered, "If I'm not safe here in Chicago then I think it's best if we go home."

It wasn't the exact reaction I was hoping for, but if it had to be done to keep Bella out of harm's way I would gladly cut our honey moon short.

Alice's POV

The visions never ceased; it was bound to happen. My futile attempts to interfere with my brother's newly, transformed destiny would do nothing to stop the inevitable.

I laughed dryly at the irony of the whole situation. It wasn't that long ago that Edward went to Volterra with only the mission of suicide in mind… _Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. _

Edward and Bella's lives weren't the only ones in jeopardy. I was confident that Carlisle, Jasper, and I would still continue to exist after this. Jasper and I would still have each other. Unfortunately I couldn't say the same for Carlisle. It wasn't fair – someone with so much compassion shouldn't be forced into solitude.

Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward would all cease to exist; of course Bella would still be around but she would never know us. She would be completely unaware that she lost her one true love - it would truly be as if he never existed.

I wish that this wasn't something that was so complex. If we had the werewolves, the Volturi, or some overly zealous human on our hands then we could take the necessary precautions to avoid the situation or to mend it.

The person that was a menace to us all wouldn't have possessed any threat if he stayed within the safe confinements of his own environment. He was completely unaware of how much of a danger his presence was to us all.

Just like Adam and Eve some of us would eat of the forbidden fruit, but instead of having a choice it would be shoved into their mouths. The exact same punishment would be cast upon them – or perhaps reward would be the better term?

The terms reward and punishment didn't do the inevitable situation any justice at all. On one hand there was much to be lost, but on the other some of us would gain the one thing we never thought possible.

Despite all of this, is it selfish of me to want my family to stay together no matter the cost?

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Third Person POV

It was as if his mind was playing tricks on him. It was a dream, it had to be. No other explanation would suffice all the unfamiliar sites around him.

AN: Just so you know this won't be a religious story. I just thought the whole Adam and Eve scenario fit for the story and it's a wonderful clue. I'm a person of few words, so don't expect long chapters from me. Sorry. Please review and let me know what you think.


	2. When Faded Memories Regain Their Color

**DISCLAIMER: All books and characters in the Twilight Saga are property of Stephenie Meyer.**

AN: Thanks to my beta not done baking for all your help.

When Faded Memories Regain their Color

Bella's POV

After we checked out of the hotel Edward insisted on taking me out to eat. When I questioned him about the shooting he told me that Alice saw it happen at exactly seven o'clock tomorrow - meaning he still had plenty of time to make sure I was fed.

I was sitting behind a booth in an overpriced Italian restaurant called Trattoria Gianni. For the life of me I couldn't understand his obsession with spending money on me. On the way here we got into an argument…I insisted that I could pay for my own food. His counter argument won in the end – he had pointed out that since we were now married and shared our expenses that I was in fact paying for my own meal.

It didn't take long before an overly eager waitress came over to take my order, or a better term would be to flirt with my husband. I had to admit, she was very pretty. I estimated that she stood about five feet three with an athletic build. Her long chestnut hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her lips were painted with a light pink shade of lipstick. Her lashes were caked with black mascara which she batted so many times someone might think that she had something in her eye.

I rolled my eyes at her shameless trifling. Didn't she notice the ring on his finger? Of course not, she was mesmerized by his face. Fortunately for me, Edward was looking at me the whole time.

After she pulled herself out of trance that was induced by my husband's inhuman beauty she asked him for his order using the most seductive voice she could come up with. He cringed slightly at the sound of her voice. I didn't even want to know what she was thinking.

He predictably told her that he wasn't hungry, causing her to let out a sigh of disappointment. Just when I was about to speak up she turned around to leave, she completely ignored me.

I sat there with my mouth gaping open full of shock. Never before have I been treated so rudely in a public place.

"Waitress," Edward called out darkly.

Surprise. Surprise. She turned around at the sound of his voice. "Yes," she asked in an overly saturated, sweet voice.

"I think you forgot someone," Edward responded in his velvety voice that sounded sweet on the outside but anyone could tell it was dripping with venom.

"What was that?" She asked, still completely oblivious to me.

His hand motioned towards me. Shame spread across her face when she saw me.

"I'm sorry miss. Can I please take your order?" she asked in a voice filled with defeat. She must have noticed the ring on my finger.

"I'll have the Tortellini Baronessa for my main course."

She wrote it down. "And to drink?"

"Water will be fine."

She took our menus and apologized once again for her rude behavior.

Edward shook his head in disgust. "That was completely unacceptable. Trust me I have every intention of making a complaint to the manager before we leave here."

I frowned slightly. Sure I was annoyed that she shamelessly flirted with my husband in front of me and was completely aloof to my presence, but that didn't mean I wanted to ruin her life.

"I wish you wouldn't do anything," I begged as I placed my hand over his.

He gave me a hard look. "You can't be serious?"

I returned his hard look and threw in a harsh tone in my voice. "Very serious."

He opened his mouth slightly to speak only to automatically close it a few seconds later. His body became rigid and pain distorted his face. His eyes held a distant look in them. If I didn't know better I would have thought he was seeing one of Alice's visions.

Concern and anxiety over took me - I moved into his booth and placed a hand on his shoulder. His face softened and he gently squeezed the hand that I placed on his shoulder.

"It's not possible," he whispered.

Something was amiss. Did he dive into the mind of someone dangerous? Someone fatal? Was fate once again creeping up on me? Was I bound to die no matter where I was located?

"What's not possible?"

I cupped his chin hoping that it would give him the message that I wanted him to look at me. He acted as if he didn't even notice me.

"Edward, you're scaring me. Tell me what's wrong. Please," I demanded.

Edward's POV

I couldn't tell her what was wrong, because I was hardly aware of what was happening to me. All I knew was that the color was coming back in my faded human memories. They were now bright and vivid in color, fresh as the day that they happened. It felt like I experienced them yesterday.

"_Edward go wash your hands; it's time to eat," my mother ordered. _

_I hit the last key, and headed towards the bathroom to wash my hands. I took a glance at myself in the mirror. Mother taught me to always look presentable when we were hosting company. I ran the brush through my usually tousled hair._

_When I got downstairs I found my mother mingling with the wives of our guests from my father's prestige law firm. My mother wasn't a person to be fond of gossip like the wives of the other lawyers, but regardless she was always courteous towards them._

_My father was in the den entertaining his coworkers. I made rounds back and forth between both rooms. Both of my parents wanted to show me off and boast about my accomplishments in school and with the piano. _

_I heard my mother speaking about me finding a respectable young lady to settle down with it. Even though I was sixteen, commitment of that variety was the furthest thing from my mind._

Bella was practically in hysterics now; her beautiful face covered in tears.

"Please don't cry, my love," I pleaded wrapping my arm around her and pulling her close.

"I was so worried about you. I've never seen you act that way," she burst out through broken sobs.

"I didn't mean to frighten you. I had…" I paused in order to collect myself from the initial shock, "… a memory."

Bella wiped her hands with her sleeve and straightened her posture. "What do you mean? I thought your memory was impeccable."

"My vampire memory is," I whispered only loud enough for her to hear and no one else, "but my human memory isn't."

She parted her oversize lips in the form of an "o." "How is that possible?"

I wrapped my arm around her and she rested her head on my shoulder. "I wish I knew."

The unpleasant aroma of Bella' meal pulled me back into reality. What happened in the past wasn't of any concern right now the only one that mattered was the person sitting right next to me, Bella. I had to stay strong for her.

Alice's POV

I had a one track mind at that moment and nothing else mattered. I would take the steps necessary to save my family. As selfish as it might sound, I couldn't imagine losing even one of them. Without them neither Jasper nor I could survive. Our family was like a body. Each one of us was a vital organ needed in order for the body to survive. If we lost even one of them the body would shut down.

In order for this to work I needed allies on my side, but I needed to steer clear of the one that would foil my plan, Edward. Edward being a mind reader would make this harder than I planned. We would constantly have to be blocking our thoughts from him. I couldn't afford to have a vision around him. I was grateful that Jasper would leave with me if I so requested it. I knew it would hurt Esme, but if she knew my reasoning behind it she would understand.

In the end I knew it was futile to keep this from any members of my family. After all I would have to tell Edward once he came back home. I had seen in a vision that Bella and him were planning on cutting the honey moon short and would be flying back tonight.

My only option was to put all of my trust into my family. Perhaps I could talk to both Edward and Rosalie, and tell them no matter how appealing it looked it wasn't worth destroying our family over.

I knocked on Carlisle's office door.

"Come in," he called from behind.

I gracefully glided into his office.

"Ah Alice, what can I do for you?" he asked.

I sat down in the leather chair. I thought I could do this, but now I wasn't so sure. It was hard enough having to see it in a vision, but having to actually say it out loud only confirmed the reality of the grave situation even more.

"Alice," Carlisle called out to me taking me out of deep thought.

"I had a vision," I broke out in dry sobs.

I should have known that Jasper, my one true love, would have immediately picked up on my emotions and come racing over. He has been asking me all day what had gotten me so melancholy, but I kept on telling him it was nothing. Even though he knew I was lying he wasn't the type to press. He would wait for me to tell him.

Jasper scooped me up in his lap and took my place in the chair. As I dry sobbed into his chest he sent me waves of calmness and love to reduce the emotional turmoil I was in.

"What did you see?" Carlisle questioned with compassion in his voice.

"The destruction of our family is coming."

Carlisle's POV

There wasn't much in this world that could scare me, but those words that came out of my daughter's mouth did. I loved my family. Having an existence without them would truly be hell.

Once I collected myself with the aid of Jasper's calming waves I asked, "What do you mean?"

Alice was no longer dry sobbing. Her composure was completely calm all thanks to her loving husband and my son.

"Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward will be in the ground or ashes in an urn."

I frowned. "Are they going to be destroyed?"

"Not exactly; let's just say everything will go according to the original plan for them."

Jasper and I both gasped in union at this new piece of information. The rest of the family was now standing outside my door. My precious and loving wife had her right hand placed on her chest. Emmett's face showed that he was in pain.

"What about you, Jasper, and Carlisle?" Rosalie asked Alice.

"We'll still be around…just not together…except for Jasper and I," she confessed. Jasper tightened his grip around her.

"How is that possible?" Emmett spoke up.

Alice assured us that she wouldn't edit anything out before sharing her vision with us. After she stopped speaking we all remained in silence for a few minutes. Most of us were in too much shock to speak – my past was truly coming back to haunt me. Some of us were already planning on how to stop them from dying; while the rest of us were preparing our goodbyes in our heads.

Depending on how old he was, our family wasn't the only thing at stake here. This could lead to disastrous results for the whole world. We needed to come together as one in order to stop this from happening, perhaps even require some help from the Denali clan.

Would Alice, Jasper, and I remember our loved ones? Like my son, says a vampire memory doesn't fade, but what happens when the course that is already behind us changes?

It was now five-thirty p.m. According to Alice, Edward and Bella would arrive from their flight by midnight.

Third Person POV

Edward's human memories never ceased, they only became stronger and more frequent. He knew that he needed to speak to Carlisle as soon as he got back. Right now the only thing that mattered was getting to the airport and leaving the state of Illinois.

He was completely oblivious to the cause of his newly discovered memories. He didn't realize that the cause stood only twenty feet behind him.

_Where are my parents? Why is everyone dressed so strangely? What happened to me?_

Edward panicked. He was losing control of his mind. It was slipping away at a rapid pace.

Bella picked up on the change in his demeanor.

"You have that look again," she pointed out. "What's wrong?"

"It feels like my mind is being split in two," he replied.

AN: Depending on how perceptive some of you are you might have already figured out what was going on. Let me know your theories in a review. Next chapter I'll get in a POV from either Rosalie, Esme, or Emmett.


	3. We'd All Be Under Gravestones Now

**DISCLAIMER: All books and characters in the Twilight Saga are property of Stephenie Meyer.**

_AN: Thanks to my beta not done baking for all the help._

We'd All Be Under Gravestones Now

Rosalie's POV

It wasn't supposed to happen this way – this wasn't the happy ending that I wanted. I wanted; no I needed Emmett in my life along with my family. I didn't want to lose everything and everyone. I would relive that horrible night all over again if it meant that I wouldn't have to lose my husband and family.

The possibility of losing our memories made it even worse. I wouldn't even remember Emmett, and I wouldn't even be wrinkle in his mind. I would die by the hand of Royce and his goons; and Emmett would die via the grizzly bear. We would never meet. I'd be living in Rochester, New York and he'd be in Tennessee.

I couldn't take it any more; I rushed out of the room. I had to get away. The tension was so thick in the air none of us needed Jasper's power to feel it.

"Rose," Emmett called after me.

I didn't stop when I heard his voice; instead I retreated to our bedroom and threw myself on our king-sized bed that was only used for one thing.

I heard him sit down on the edge of the bed. I buried my face into the pillow as I let out tearless sobs. He lovingly ran his fingers across the back of my calf.

"Please talk to me," he pleaded with me.

I removed my mouth from my pillow and turned my head on its side.

"What is there to say? I'm going to lose you and your family. I thought I wanted this, but not like this. Never like this…" I trailed off.

"Ooh Rose," He consoled me, pain evident in his voice. "I promise you that I'll do anything in my power to make sure that none of us are separated," he foolishly promised.

"But how? Alice doesn't even know who's behind this – yes she knows the person who will be causing the disaster, but she doesn't know who sent him. He didn't just poof out of thin air – someone brought him here," I exclaimed.

"Trust me, I've every intention of finding out who it was; and when I do I'll rip that demon apart limb from limb," he declared.

I sat up and joined him by the corner of the bed. I rested my head on his shoulder; he placed a kiss on top of it.

I felt his body tense beneath my head.

"What's wrong?"

He inched his shoulder up indicating to me that he wanted to get up.

"We aren't the only people that will be affected by this."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice dripping with concern.

"What about our victims from when we fell off the band wagon; especially Edward's victims – even your victims?"

"I still don't understand what you're getting at? They will be able to live full and happy lives now," I replied, "but I can't say that I'm too thrilled with the idea of Royce and his friends having that privilege."

"I'm mostly concerned about our brother's victims, the serial killer and serial rapists. They will be free to murder and ravage more people. Generations of families are just going to disappear, certainly now you must see just how serious this has gotten," he exclaimed.

Who would have thought that something good actually did come out of Edward's rebel stage?

"There's no time to waste – as soon as Edward and Bella arrive we need to start acting. Time is no longer a luxury for us."

Edward's POV

The impossible just became possible. I knew exactly who was wreaking havoc upon my half life and family – Alice was right…it was the last person I would've ever expected. Still though I had to reason with him, if there was anyone I could show reason to, it had to be him. I knew exactly how his mind worked.

I felt Bella's small, warm hand grip mine. I look down at her. She couldn't know about this. We still had awhile before we had to leave. I had to be completely discreet. I couldn't afford to have Alice find out – I couldn't make any decisions yet.

"Are we going to leave for the airport yet?"

"There's no need, we still have an hour left."

I couldn't take Bella to meet him. I knew that he truly wasn't dangerous; it was just his presence here that was the problem – not him. I wasn't sure how he would react when he saw me? I knew it wouldn't be pleasant in the least bit. Regardless though all my worries were for my wife; I knew she was strong, but even she had her limits. Would this be her breaking point…the one thing that finally drives her away screaming? I'm honestly surprised that I hadn't reached that point yet.

I needed to picture Bella and I going to the airport in order to ease Alice's mind and preventing her from calling.

I had only two options: tell Bella the truth and risk her reaction, or feed her some fabrication about how I have some unfinished business that needs some attending. Yes, option number two will work just perfectly. I can tell her that I need to make sure everything in my house is still in order. If this causes her any distress I will just ease her worries by letting her know that I have every intention of catching the earliest flight tomorrow.

I once again made the decision to fly home tonight.

"I have bad news," I began. The tempo of her heart sped up, "there are a few things at my house that need some attending to, and it will take me all night to make sure they're attended to."

"Alright then we can fly home tomorrow," she pointed out.

I shook my head. "No, I'm not taking any chances with you. I want you on that plane tonight."

She pressed her mouth in a hard line. "This is my life; not yours," she declared.

Before I could respond, she glared at me. She saw right through my façade.

"Edward, I insist that you tell me right now what's going on. I know that you're lying about the drive by shooting, and that somehow your house is connected. What's so damn important that I can't come along?"

I bore my eyes into hers and breathed on her in attempt to dazzle her. I hated having to do this to her, but I was only keeping her safe. But what if I was wrong? This person would never harm her; he was raised to respect women.

My mind went back to the spat between Jacob and I when he went came to Forks High to talk to me. Could he possibly right? Perhaps Bella isn't as fragile as I think she is. This is my over reactive nature acting up again. There's no need to keep her safe; this isn't a blood thirsty vampire or an out of control werewolf…it's a human and if I can't trust him, then who can I trust?

I turned my head away before she was fully dazzled. Unfortunately, she was still a bit wobbly; I held out my arms to catch her.

"Bella, I'm ready to tell you everything now…I won't hold back," I sighed.

And once again I made the decision to get on the plane with Bella.

Third Person POV

Feeling tired, he decided to retreat to the one familiar place that he knew. He took his key out of his pocket – only to be stopped by the strange looking device with numbers that was placed by the right side of the door. After scrutinizing the mysterious device, he arrived to the conclusion that it looked like a calculator.

AN: Please review, and check out "Finding Your Eternal Soul mate" by Bella's humanity


	4. Revelations in the Parking Lot

**DISCLAIMER: All books and characters in the Twilight Saga are property of Stephenie Meyer.**

_Thanks to my beta, not done baking, for all her help._

Revelations in the Parking Lot

Bella's POV

"Can we go some where private to talk, before I tell you?" asked Edward.

"Of course," I said tersely.

We opened the doors to the rental car and got in. He drove to a secluded and empty parking lot. He put the car into park and shut the ignition off. I looked at him patiently, waiting for him to speak.

"Before I tell you, I need you to promise me that you won't do anything to put yourself in danger," he began. He turned towards me and clasped both of my hands into his.

"I promise."

"I figured out the reason I've been having memories of my human life," he paused.

"And?" I asked; I wanted to hear more.

"You were right…I did lie to you about the drive-by-shooting," he admitted.

The tempo of my heart beat sped up. Why couldn't he just come right out and tell me? My body was engulfed in disappointment. I was disappointed, because he didn't trust me enough to tell me.

"Edward, please just tell me," I pleaded.

"I wish I could, Bella, I wish I could. It's so hard for me to wrap my head around this. Please just let me explain from the beginning." He loosened his grip on the steering wheel.

"All right," I agreed.

He returned his gaze back to the windshield and closed his eyes. "When Alice called earlier today, it was to tell me she had a vision," he paused, "she wouldn't tell me exactly what she saw; she only said that the whole family was in danger…you included and that I had to do whatever it took to get you out of the state."

Nausea washed through me.

"It's the pack, right?"

He shook his head.

I felt a tiny bit relieved. If it wasn't the pack then my only other guess was the Volturi, but why would they hurt the Cullens? Edward promised to change me. Were they worried about the size of the Cullen clan?

"It's not the Volturi either," Edward informed me before I could even ask.

"Well then who could it possibly be?"

He returned his gaze back to me.

"Wait you know, don't you?"

How dangerous could this mysterious stranger be if Edward was willing to take the risk of having me stay in Chicago with him? My first thought was that Alice was over reacting, but the thought left my mind as quickly as it came when I remembered she wasn't the type of person to over react.

"Yes," he answered shortly.

I silently urged for him to continue.

"You know I would never let anything happen to you, right?"

"Yes."

"The person that is so dangerous to us isn't a vampire, werewolf, or any other mythical creature…he's a human…a human that I once knew every well until my human memories faded."

His cryptic nature frustrated me.

"He has to be over a hundred then, do you think he'll recognize you if we by chance happen to run into him?"

He chose not to answer me; instead he pressed his lips against mine. He pulled away far too soon.

"He isn't over one hundred years old."

"Edward this doesn't make any sense. Just tell me already please."

He returned his gaze back to me and took a hold of my hand. "Bella, it's me, the person that's a peril to us all is my human counterpart."

I shook my head. That wasn't possible.

Edward's POV

For the next five minutes silence invaded the car. Bella's eyes never left mine. The expression on her face was impossible to read.

She let out a sigh. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"The color wasn't coming back into my human memories; I was hearing the thoughts of my past human self."

The look on her face was completely incredulous, if only I could read her thoughts; I'd be able to tell what she thought.

"Do I sound insane to you?" I asked fearfully.

"No. I just don't understand how it could be possible," she explained.

Well, the only theory that I could come up with was that a third party member is involved in this scheme, someone with the possibility to manipulate time…another vampire. If he possessed the possibility to manipulate time then, that would explain why Alice didn't see him.

I decided that it was best not to tell Bella my theory until I was able to get some insight from Carlisle. I still had many unanswered questions myself. In my eighty-eight years on this planet I have studied the many theories of time travel and all the dangers about slightest changes in the past.

_Spanish Influenza. _

"Edward, what's wrong?" Bella asked me concerned. She must have noticed my horrified expression.

_I lost my parents to that horrific pandemic; I wasn't going to take any chance with my wife…the person I waited over one hundred years for._

"I know you're my equal partner in this relationship," Bella was about to speak up to say something, but I continued before she could, "but until I speak to _him _I would prefer for you not to see him."

"Are you embarrassed by me?" she asked as she wrung her hands.

I had many things to be embarrassed about, but my marriage to Bella Cullen was not one of them. No, I had my horrific past, my monstrous nature, my lack of heart beat, my inability to sleep or cry to be embarrassed about.

"I could never be embarrassed by you," I soothed her.

She lifted her head up to look at me. "Then why do you need to confront your human counterpart before I can meet him?"

"Think about it, Bella, depending on his age he might be fatally ill. I'm not taking any risks with you. I already lost to two people I love to that ailment, I won't sacrifice you to it," I confessed with a voice that dripped with determination and hurt.

She placed her hand on my shoulder. "I will keep my distance until you say it's safe, but I have one condition," I was about to interrupt her but she put finger up for me to allow her to continue, "I want to be in viewing distance when you are talking to him. Don't worry I can stay in the car with all the windows securely rolled up to keep me safe from any possible deadly viruses."

Her plan seemed like our best course of action. I didn't want to risk the possibilities of what could happen to her if she wasn't in my field of vision, especially not if my theory about a third party being involved was true.

"You promise me that you will stay in the Volvo until I come to get you, right?"

"Yes," she verified.

I shifted back into drive and headed towards the home I grew up in.

AN: Next chapter will include the meeting between the two Edwards. Just so you know this story takes place in 2006, which is the year Bella and Edward, got married. Bella was born on September 13, 1987 and she married Edward before she turned 19 which was in the year of 2006, so all the math should be correct.


	5. AN

Update

1. Don't review this author's note. If you have any questions send me a PM.

2. Sorry I haven't updated any of my stories in a couple of weeks. I've realized that I can't handle more than one story going at the same time. I have decided to work on only one story at a time. I will write that story until it is finished before I move on to the next story. I will also have the rough draft completed before I post anymore chapters of any of my stories. Once the rough draft is completed, I'll send the next chapter to my beta (not done baking) and after she checks it over for me I will post it and so forth.

3. The order I will be working on the stories is as follows:

A. Misunderstood Decisions - The only reason this ones is first because I seem to be the most in sync with this story and it'll hopefully write the fastest. I still need to do quite a bit of research for this story, which I will do as I write. I will continue writing Misunderstood Decisions tomorrow. I know the latest chapter I wrote caused some people to be worried about Alice, so if you want me to spoil you then send me PM.

B. A Tear in the Family Portrait – At first this was the story I was most in sync with, but after the latest chapter I realized I have no idea how people acted during the early 20th century, so I need to do to research that before I can continue. I'm very sorry for leaving people hanging.

C. The Connection Runs Too Deep – This is the story that I'm at least in sync with, so it will be the last I finish.

4. I have many other ideas for stories, but I want start those until after I finish these three.

5. Thanks to all who have stuck by me. I really appreciate it.


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